An inquest was held at the White Hart hotel, Ringwood, on Tuesday afternoon, before Mr Johns, coroner, on the body of Edward Wiltshire, aged 34, who was found in the morning hanging by the neck in a wash house at the White Lion inn.

According to the evidence, the deceased – who had been exceedingly eccentric – had been on the evening previous considerably agitated about his father’s will which he had destroyed. To several persons he complained that a man named Chisman, who had married his sister, “had been worrying him” in consequence of his conduct.

One of the witnesses he asked to sleep with him that night, as, he said, he was afraid Chisman would murder him. To this witness he also said that by the will he destroyed he would have had £100 and a house and land, and his sister Jane (Chisman’s wife) £200. He also said that Chisman had taken away £9 from him the same day, and that Chisman had threatened to put the police on him for destroying the will. To other persons he expressed the fear that Chisman would have him sent to penal servitude.

According to Chisman this worrying of deceased was simply a delusion on the part of the unfortunate man. He, however, had understood from him that he had intended surrendering himself to the police for having destroyed the will. The deceased’s excuse to Chisman for having destroyed the document was that he did not consider himself sufficiently provided for.

The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased committed suicide whilst in an unsound state of mind.